Karnataka PGCET 2027: Exam Date (Expected May-June), Application

No PGCET 2027 date has been announced. KEA's PGCET page still carries the 2026 notices, so each stage gives the PGCET-2026 date as last cycle. The PGCET-2026 counselling is not finished.

Sources: KEA PGCET-2026 notices page; KEA notification of 18 March 2026; KEA note of 10 May 2026 on the revised MBA and MCA test date; PGCET-2026 information bulletin (26 March 2026); KEA notice of 10 September 2026 on claim slip download and options; PGCET-2026 first round schedule (KEA notice of 10 September 2026); PGCET-2026 mock allotment result notice (19 September 2026); PGCET-2026 first round provisional result notice (23 September 2026); PGCET-2026 post seat allotment procedure after first round final results (28 September 2026); KEA notice of 2 October 2026 extending the dates; KEA notice of 6 October 2026 extending the dates; KEA notice of 8 October 2026 extending the dates; KEA notice of 9 October 2026 on choices and the Supreme Court petition (Kannada). Checked on 12 October 2026.

The criteria below are from the PGCET-2026 bulletin; the 2027 bulletin may change them. Reservation is available only to candidates of Karnataka origin, and SC, ST and OBC eligibility criteria apply to Karnataka candidates only.

• SCA, SCB, SCC, ST and Category-I Karnataka candidates need 45% aggregate instead of 50%. Rounding off the percentage is not permitted.
• Candidates appearing in the qualifying examination can apply, but those who have not passed all subjects are not eligible for seat selection.
• Non-Karnataka candidates can select only seats surrendered by managements for MBA and MCA, and get no reservation.
• A distance-mode degree counts for MBA and MCA only if the awarding university has approval from the Distance Education Council (IGNOU), per a VTU letter of 11 August 2016 quoted in the bulletin.
• The bulletin gives no age limit for MBA or MCA.

Sources: PGCET-2026 information bulletin (26 March 2026); KEA notification of 18 March 2026. Checked on 12 October 2026.

The PGCET-2026 papers were objective multiple-choice tests with four options, answered on OMR sheets. KEA held one session for each course, and each paper had 100 questions of one mark, for 100 marks. The bulletin says the question paper comes in four versions. The 2027 pattern is not published, so the details below are last cycle's.

PGCET-2026 test dates (last cycle)

• Marking: one mark per question. There is no negative marking, but no mark is given if more than one answer is marked.
• Duration: the schedule notices show two-hour slots, while the bulletin describes 150 minutes for each paper, with 120 minutes for shading answers after the first ten minutes.
• Answer sheet: mark the answer with a blue or black ink ball-point pen only. You can carry home a replica of the sheet and should keep it for a year.
• Calculators: non-programmable calculators are allowed for M.E./M.Tech only.
• The M.E./M.Tech test is held only for Civil Engineering, Computer Science Engineering, Mechanical Sciences and Electrical Sciences. Bio-Technology, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Polymer Science and Textile Technology are admitted on degree marks, under a Government letter dated 27 June 2025.
• Candidates with a valid GATE score need not write the M.E./M.Tech test, but must register and pay the fee.

Sources: PGCET-2026 information bulletin (26 March 2026); KEA notification of 18 March 2026; KEA note of 10 May 2026 on the revised MBA and MCA test date. Checked on 12 October 2026.

KEA hosts syllabus files for MBA and MCA, and for Civil, Computer Science, Electrical and Mechanical streams of M.E./M.Tech. The MBA and MCA files, linked on the PGCET-2026 page, are titled PGCET 2025-26 and give 100 multiple-choice questions without a section-wise count.

MBA

• Computer Awareness: computer basics, data representation, binary arithmetic, and operating systems.
• Analytical Ability and Logical Reasoning: logical reasoning, puzzles, diagrams, analogy, verbal ability and analytical ability.
• Quantitative Analysis: arithmetic, data analysis and interpretation, and statistical analysis.
• English Language: basic grammar, synonyms, antonyms, sentence correction, one-word substitution, idioms and phrases, pairs expressing relationships, and famous books in English literature.
• General Knowledge: Indian and global business environment, economics, management, current affairs, sports, awards, science and technology, entrepreneurship and business communication.

MCA

• Mathematics: algebra, coordinate geometry, Boolean algebra, trigonometry, and probability and statistics.
• Computer Awareness: computer basics, data representation, binary arithmetic, and operating systems.
• Analytical Ability and Logical Reasoning: logical, quantitative and visuospatial reasoning.
• General Awareness: business, finance, industry, transportation, scientific inventions, governance, healthcare, culture, entrepreneurship and business communication.
• General English: grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, synonyms, antonyms, sentence correction, words and phrases, and jumbled paragraphs.

Both files say the examination mode is online, computer based. The PGCET-2026 bulletin and test notices say OMR, so treat the mode in the bulletin as the current one.

Sources: PGCET MBA syllabus; PGCET MCA syllabus; PGCET-2026 information bulletin (26 March 2026). Checked on 12 October 2026.

PGCET gives a rank. KEA then runs online seat allotment for Government seats in the order of merit, using the seat matrix issued by the Government of Karnataka. The details below are from the PGCET-2026 bulletin and notices.

How the merit list and allotment work

• The merit list is prepared separately for MBA, MCA and M.E./M.Tech/M.Arch, solely on PGCET marks. Qualifying marks only decide eligibility. Ties are broken first by aggregate marks in the qualifying examination, then by age with the older candidate first, and then by a draw of lots.
• For M.E./M.Tech/M.Arch, candidates with a valid GATE score are allotted first. Of the remaining general seats, 90% go to Karnataka candidates and 10% to non-Karnataka candidates.
• Allotment runs in this order: M.E./M.Tech/M.Arch, MCA, then MBA, and a candidate who gets a seat in one is still considered for the others by rank and options.
• Reservation applies only to Karnataka candidates, on the caste certificate. Fee exemption for SC, ST and Category-I candidates needs the income certificate RD number in the application.
• The first-round provisional seat matrix of 18 September 2026 lists 18,152 MBA seats in 308 college entries and 9,646 MCA seats in 203 entries, split between Hyderabad-Karnataka and the rest of Karnataka. KEA says the final matrix and seat counts can change.
• A Government Order of 7 September 2026 (ED 219 TEC 2026) continues the 2025-26 tuition fee for MBA, MCA, M.E. and M.Tech in 2026-27. The bulletin says the admission fee would be notified later.

Steps in the first round (2026)

1. Download your claim slip (also called the verification slip) from your login in the window KEA gives (11 to 15 September 2026, 2:00 pm, in 2026). Keep the original, because KEA asks for it if you later surrender a seat.
2. Enter options: pick colleges and courses in order of priority. One form covers every course you are eligible for, there is no limit on options, and the first-round options carry over to all rounds. You may add options for colleges added to the matrix later.
3. Check the mock allotment, then change, reorder or delete options in the window KEA gives.
4. After the real allotment, choose one of four choices. Choice 1: happy with the seat and ready to pay the fee, leaving further rounds. Choice 2: satisfied but willing to try for a better option in the next round. Choice 3: not interested, surrender the seat, but join the next round. Choice 4: admitted elsewhere, so quit the process.
5. Choice 1 and 2 candidates pay the fee online; Choice 1 candidates download the seat confirmation slip and report to the college with all originals by the last date.

Refund and cancellation rules (bulletin)

• If you surrender a first-round seat after reporting, before the last date for second-round option entry, KEA deducts Rs 5,000 as processing fee and refunds the rest.
• If you surrender after the second round, or surrender a second-round seat, or do not join, the whole fee is forfeited.
• A seat can be surrendered only to KEA, with the original admission order, bank challan, acknowledgement card and verification slip. Not reporting to the college is not a surrender.

Sources: PGCET-2026 information bulletin (26 March 2026); PGCET-2026 first round schedule (KEA notice of 10 September 2026); KEA notice of 10 September 2026 on claim slip download and options; PGCET-2026 post seat allotment procedure after first round final results (28 September 2026); PGCET-2026 MBA seat matrix, first round provisional (18 September 2026); PGCET-2026 MCA seat matrix, first round provisional (18 September 2026); Government Order ED 219 TEC 2026 on 2026-27 tuition fees (7 September 2026). Checked on 12 October 2026.

KEA published first-round allotment cut-off ranks for each college with its provisional results on 23 September 2026. The tables give the General Merit (GM) cut-off rank in the rest-of-Karnataka seat type for a few colleges, as the PDFs print them. A lower rank is better. These are first-round ranks from the provisional result; KEA's PDFs also give the other categories and the Hyderabad-Karnataka seat type, and M.Tech.

MBA: GM cut-off rank, first round, 2026

MCA: GM cut-off rank, first round, 2026

Sources: PGCET-2026 first round allotment cut-off ranks for MBA (23 September 2026); PGCET-2026 first round allotment cut-off ranks for MCA (23 September 2026). Checked on 12 October 2026.